Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am learns to speak Doric

SCOTS vocal coach Yvie Burnett has revealed how the American singer put his own unique twist on the dialect.

AMERICAN music star will.i.am has a hidden talent – after learning to speak Doric.

Celebrity vocal coach Yvie Burnett became pally with the Black Eyed Peas star when they worked together on the BBC talent show The Voice.

And she has now revealed she gave him lessons in her Aberdeenshire mother tongue.

Yvie, 44, from Methlick, says the US performer and producer begged her to teach him Doric after hearing her speak it. But he has added his own unique twist.

She said: “will.i.am kept telling me how much he loved my accent and when he heard me talking in Doric to a fellow Aberdonian member of the crew, he became intrigued.

“He begged me to teach him some phrases, so I taught him, ‘Fit like’ ‘Hello, how are you?’ – and, ‘Far d’yi bide?” – ‘Where do you live?’ You should have seen the Aberdonian assistant producer’s face when will.i.am launched into Doric.

“Of course, Will being Will, he added his own catchphrase and the conversation went something like: “Fit like, dope? Far d’yi bide, dope?”

She added: “The problem now is will.i.am thinks everybody in Scotland speaks Doric, so there could be confusion if he tries out his new dialect in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

“He’s a really great guy, who is enthusiastic about everything, so he made a great pupil. I started slow but next time I see him, I will add to his phrases.”